“But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright”” Genesis 25:31 Sell – What is your personal investment strategy? Are you in stocks? Bonds? Gold? Do you think about that 401k or SEP? Or is your investment strategy about “bigger” things? Esau didn’t stop to consider a life-long investment strategy. As a result, he couldn’t tell…
“Thus Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail.” 1 Samuel 3:19 Fail – Do you think historians would say the same thing about you? Are you so close to God that none of your words “fail”? Samuel had that reputation. What he said was true but not…
“The wicked desires the booty of evil men, but the root of the righteous yields fruit.” Proverbs 12:12 Desires – There’s never enough, is there? At least that’s the way the world thinks. No matter what you have, there is always room for just a little more. In fact, the law of accumulation really works…
“And blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over Me.” Matthew 11:6 Stumbling over – The scandal of Jesus. That’s the word. Skandalizo, “to cause to stumble or to take offense”. It comes from the noun that means the trigger of a trap. It’s the thing that we bump into and suddenly we are caught….
“Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7 Cheerful – Want to know a secret? Giving is all about joy. If you give from obligation, compulsion or guilt, you miss the whole point. If your offering does…
“Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” James 1:17 Good thing – Two points of view in the same verse. “Good thing” is not the same as “perfect gift”. If we knew the Greek words, we would see it immediately. “Good thing” is dosis. …
“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8 Freely – Grace is the exception to the rule of life. Sin is not. Sin has inevitability. It always leads to death. Sin is structurally dysfunctional. It is the epitome of insanity. Sin is ubiquitous. …
“I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ” Galatians 1:6 Called – The Greek kaleo (to call) has nuances that paint a much richer picture than we might imagine. We need to see all the colors and shades if we are going to appreciate the…
“Against You, You only, I have sinned” Psalm 51:4 You only – David’s adultery and murder led to the destruction of his family and the eventual collapse of the monarchy. He was publicly humiliated. He spent the rest of his life facing the consequences of his disobedience. The only reason he was not executed was…
“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace;” Romans 8:6 Mind – One of the biggest problems for translators is choosing words that reflect what the writer intended, not what the reader understands. Translations that do not pay attention to this usually end…
